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Flash Movie Review: Premium Rush
There is nothing like riding a bicycle with the wind slipping across your skin, a waterfall spreading itself out on your left, with granite obelisks standing at attention as you pass them; all while traveling up a lush winding path. Well, at least that is one of the places I periodically describe to the members in my cycling class, as we are doing a standing climb on our bikes. Seeing this adrenalin pumped movie, I now have another scenario I can bring into the classroom. Bicycle messenger Wilee, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) was one of the riders who used a bike with no brakes. He could be found weaving and darting through cars and pedestrians in New York City at top speed. Detective Bobby Monday, played by Michael Shannon (Take Shelter, Revolutionary Road), caught wind of a package in Wilee’s possession, that could make a difference in his dire financial predicament. The story, parts told in flashback, was not complicated; it drove the high octane action scenes. Having always enjoyed Joseph’s past characters; this was another good performance by him; as the honest, affable bike messenger Wilee. But the true star of this film was Michael Shannon. He had the look, the mannerisms and the intensity for his imposing role as the desperate detective. My one complaint about the movie was the multitude of chase scenes; they started to become routine for me. Despite that gripe, at the end of the movie I still felt I got a good workout. Stay for the beginning of the credits to see the actual injury Joseph Gordon-Levitt occurred while filming a scene.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Hotel Rwanda
With many stories that have scenarios filled with horror and terror, one can find individuals that shine with an amazing heartbeat. For me, it was a music teacher who became my savior; when the bullying in school was overwhelming me. She would stand outside her classroom, watching for me as I walked down the hallway towards class, making sure I was safe. There are people in the world who can make all the difference to a victim. One of these remarkable individuals was Paul Rusesabagina. Based on a true story, Paul was the house manager of a luxury hotel in Rwanda, back in the 1990’s. Played by Don Cheadle (Brooklyn’s Finest, Reign Over Me), Paul put his life in jeopardy by housing Tutsi refugees in the hotel; away from the Hutu militia, who were determined to slaughter any and all Tutsi civilians. This was a hard movie to watch due to the brutal and bloody violence on display; it was pure genocide. Besides telling myself this was only a movie, the flawless acting from Don Cheadle kept me riveted to my seat. There was a scene with Paul’s wife Tatiana, played by Sophie Okonedo (The Secret Life of Bees, Martian Child) that brought tears to my eyes. Another great performance was given by Nick Nolte (Warrior, The Thin Red Line) as Colonel Oliver. There are so many times where we come across the tagline: It only takes one person to make a difference. In regards to Paul Rusesabagina, he made 1000 differences. It was an incredible experience watching this moving movie about a special soul, surviving in the middle of man’s ugliness.
3 2/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Cosmopolis
The more money a person acquires, it seems to me, the less they maintain a grasp on the real world. When I see examples of obscene amounts of money being spent on outrageous objects, such as 24 carat bathroom fixtures or a bedroom set carved out of a rare, exotic wood in the shape of a venetian gondola; I think, is that really necessary? As the division between the have and have nots widens, we have here a movie that depicts a time of chaos. With life spiraling out of control; young billionaire Eric Packer, played by Robert Pattinson (Twilight franchise, Water for Elephants), decided to go outside to get a haircut. In a decked out limousine and accompanied by tough security man Torval, played by Kevin Durand (Real Steel, Legion), Eric became a witness to life outside of himself. Here was an instance where I had wished I read the book before seeing this film. It was hard figuring out what was happening at times. For example, why couldn’t Eric have his barber come to his limo like his doctor? I was hoping to see Robert stretch himself in this role, due to a majority of the movie was filmed of him inside the limo. Unfortunately, I found Robert falling back into his character Edward from Twilight, minus the pale, sparkly skin. The division of the classes was something I could pick up on; however, I thought the script was utterly wrong, providing me with nothing to sustain my interest. I was bored out of my mind and did not care about the various characters that popped in and out of the limousine, during this slow moving movie. Even casting Paul Giamatti (Sideways, The Illusionist) as Benno Levin was not enough to save this poor film. Maybe if the studio did not spend so much money for the actors and director, they could have gone more for quality, making this film understandable for the masses. Brief scenes with blood.
1 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Spanish Prisoner
To get the rich flavor out of certain foods, one must coddle and fuss over them. Think of your mother’s homemade spaghetti sauce sitting on the stove for hours; where it would simmer and bubble, emitting small puffs of steam into the air. Similar to that, this mystery slowly simmered as the various actors blended together into a rich, thrilling story. Watching this movie was a nostalgic experience for me; a throwback to a different time where the actors told the story, not the special effects or locales. This film slowly drew me into its story with its twists and turns. Joseph A. “Joe” Ross, played by Campbell Scott (Music and Lyrics, The Dying Gaul), created a formula that would bring millions to his company; run by Mr. Klein, played by Ben Gazzara (The Big Lebowski, Looking for Palladin). Altered attitudes and issues of trust came into play after Joe befriended the mysterious Julian “Jimmy” Dell, played by Steve Martin (Shopgirl, The Jerk), who warned Joe about taking steps to protect his creation. Written and directed by David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross, Hannibal), the driving force to this film came from the dialog. Filmed in 1997, the pacing took its time in revealing the story, allowing the actors to shine in their craft. It was fun to see a young Felicity Huffman (Trasamerica, Desperate Housewives-TV) and Ed O’Neill (Married with Children-TV, Modern Family-TV) who had small roles in this layered movie. Set in a past time, the wordy script took pleasure in reeling me into its web of intrigue and I went willingly. One brief scene with blood.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Redacted
With this gripping film, we return to a theme I covered previously: Are some people simply born evil or is it something they learn? When the media covers a story, depending on the spin; we can believe a person is innocent or guilty. I find especially true these days, a news story gets twisted in a positive or negative way based on the news station’s affiliations. One of my favorite directors, Brian De Palma (Scarface, The Untouchables) wrote and directed this intense docudrama about a group of soldiers manning a military checkpoint in an Iraqi town. I had a hard time remembering this was a fictional piece; it seemed so real to me. The idea of having soldier Angel Salazar, played by Izzy Diaz (If I Had Known I Was a Genius, several various TV show episodes), documenting his time by video taping it, was brilliant. We were able to see what Angel was recording through his viewfinder. It was fascinating to see how some of his informal scenes were later covered by the media. Witnessing fellow soldiers B.B Rush’s and Reno Flake’s, played by Daniel Stewart Sherman (The Briefcase, Mr. Popper’s Penguins) and Patrick Carroll (several various TV show episodes), heinous behavior was disturbing. I wondered if they always had that type of behavior or if it came on due to the environment. One of my best friend’s brothers never spoke of his time overseas during the Viet Nam War. I was always curious what life was like for him. In truth, the only ideas I have of military life in battle is what I have seen on the news. After watching this movie, should I assume war nourishes the seeds of evil in some individuals? Blurring the line between fact and fiction, this haunting story could easily be someone’s nightmare. Bloody, violent scenes.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Sparkle
If you have been unplugged from this movie’s marketing machine, you may not be aware this was Whitney Houston’s final performance. Though I do not see how that could be possible; the studio has been promoting it nonstop. As I watched Whitney on screen, I was sad this was to be my final memory of her. In this movie remake, Whitney (The Bodyguard, Waiting to Exhale) played the deeply religious mother Emma, to three talented daughters. My parents taught me not to speak ill towards the dead, but then I would not be able to review this dramatic film. I will say it was good to see Whitney sober. Her acting was not exceptional and though the director did everything possible to make Whitney’s big solo number spectacular, the voice I remember was not there. The story set in the 1960’s was about the three daughters forming a singing group, in spite of their mother’s wishes. Youngest daughter Sparkle, played by Jordin Sparks in her first starring role, was the songwriter of the group. Jordin was the youngest winner of American Idol, a singing competition reality show. As for her acting ability, there was none. I found Jordin to be a poor choice for the role. The oldest sister called Sister, played by Carmen Ejogo (Pride and Glory, Away We Go), handled the most dramatic parts of the film. There were no surprises in this musical movie and I found the slow story incomplete. For example, I never understood why Whitney’s character was so strict and distrustful; both of the girls and the music industry. For me personally, I would have preferred remembering Whitney Houston from her younger days. It was sad to see an older, puffy version of a lost talent.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Celeste and Jesse Forever
There have been many discussions about whether a man and woman can maintain a friendship after being a couple. In my world it has happened, easily for the most part. The girl I dated in 8th grade is still one of my closest friends today. In other relationships, there had to be a time of separation before the friendship could continue forward. I have always felt just because the love aspect did not work out, why would I remove myself from the other facets of the person, that were in synch with mine. Granted, when it comes to the issue of trust being broken, it can be very challenging to proceed with the friendship. I found this movie to be one of the smarter ones to deal with a couple’s separation. Celeste and Jesse, played by Rashida Jones (The Big Year, Our Idiot Brother) and Andy Samberg (That’s My Boy, Friends With Benefits), were going through a divorce while maintaining a close friendship with each other. On a personal level I have seen where that has been hard to do, but I gave credit to Rashida and her writing partner Will McCormack for making this intelligent story more believable. I expected Rashida to be good in this dramatic comedy and was not disappointed. The surprise for me was Andy showing more of a dramatic, serious side than his usual comedic talents. During the scenes where each character talked about seeing other people for dating, I felt they were true to life. The secondary story with Emma Roberts (Valentine’s Day, Nancy Drew) as pop star Riley had a surprise twist to it. Let us face it, relationships take some work; you have to give Celeste and Jesse extra points for working harder at it.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
What does our physical age really mean? If we are 66 years old, does that mean we cannot enjoy ourselves on a roller coaster? Or what if we were 15 years old; we should not consider climbing Mt. Everest? I have always felt the body was rented, including its daily changes. What was inside was always more important for me and I acted accordingly, never wanting to limit myself. I just try to take pleasure out of the things I do without paying much mind to other people’s notions of how I should act. This beautiful movie really turns our ideas of aging upside down. Benjamin Button, played by Brad Pitt (Moneyball, Fight Club), was abandoned at birth by his father. Though he was just born, Benjamin appeared to be a tiny, elderly man. Believing he would not live long, no one wanted anything to do with the unusual baby. No one that is except for the loving Queenie, played by Taraji P. Henson (Think Like a Man, Date Night), a worker at a senior citizens home. She took in Benjamin as her own son. It was at this home where a resident’s granddaughter named Daisy took an interest in the curious child. Though the movie was long, I was never bored. For me, it felt more like it was of an episodic nature; like watching a book coming to life on the big screen. The film followed the mature Daisy, played by Cate Blanchett (Robin Hood, The Lord of the Rings franchise), as she grew older through the years; while the elderly Benjamin continued to grow younger with each passing year. Everyone was wonderful in their roles, with each pristine scene looking as if it were a part of a family’s cherished photo album. A magnificent movie that showed age to be whatever you wanted it to be.
3 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Jodhaa Akbar
A monumental love story with a rich historical pedigree, this extravagant movie covered a lot of ground–literally. As I was watching this film, my mind flashed with images of past conflicts that have taken place around the world. A common factor I found present was the clashing of two distinct religions. Each side tried imposing their culture on the opposing force. I do not understand the reasoning behind some religions sending out members in an attempt to convert individuals. Where does this mentality of “my religion is better than yours” come from? Set in the 16th century, the Mughal ruler Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar, played by Hrithik Roshan (Luck by Chance, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) formed an alliance with an opposing kingdom by agreeing to marry that ruler’s daughter. This was a radical idea due to the fact Akbar was Muslim and the princess was HIndu. Besides family members having their doubts, ministers of each court were leery of such an arrangement. How could Akbar make this marriage work with the strong willed Princess Jodhaa Bai, played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Bride & Prejudice, Endhiran)? The first 30 minutes of this saga was hard for me to get into; I could not figure out what was going on. But trust me, it will be worth your wait as the story came alive when the focus turned to Akbar. I discovered if I watched this movie with my western sensibilities, it came across as this over the top, melodramatic soap opera. With soaring music that would sweep into the scene, people breaking out into song and a cast of thousands filmed for maximum exposure; this was a big Bollywood production. Granted the fight scenes were a bit hokey, especially with the one to one combatants, where one could see punches missing their intended targets. In spite of the technical deficiencies; the movie bloomed with beautifully colored scenes and told a story about respectfulness, tolerance and one of the greatest loves in history. Brief scene with blood. Hindi/Urdu with English subtitles.
3 stars — DVD
